Is it my Battery or Reg/Rec or Alternator?..i just dont know

[Spiderman]

Ok, i've been a good boy and done lots of searches regarding this subject but i still need some advice please.

Thru winter i was charging the battery once every couple of weeks. On the Optimate. Optimate tells me the battery is good but just needs charging.

Recently i've been chrging the battery nearly once a week and twice already this week. Now this cant be right.

So, the bike is 6yrs old and the battery, reg/rec and alternator are all the original items.

A couple of kind peeps at Soho have tested the battery while on bike and reving and seemed satisfied with the readings (all greek to me).

But Optimate tells me my battery is Good when it finishes charging it and testing it.

So what do i do from here?

Buy a new battery and see if problem persists? But to me thats just chucking £40 away and not neccesarily fixing the problem. i really need to sort this out this weekend peeps, if you can help me out. I was late for work this morning cos it tried starting and then just did its famous rapid tick,tick,tick,tick thing. And i've brought the charger with me but i dont wanna be doing this twice a week

Help?

[Sid Squid]

Originally Posted by Spiderman

A couple of kind peeps at Soho have tested the battery while on bike and reving and seemed satisfied with the readings (all greek to me).

Neither of which was me, thus any results and diagnoses you have been advised of are clearly substandard.

At 6 years old, I would suggest the battery has had better days. I can’t see that investing in one to see if the problem goes is money wasted. If the charging voltages have been checked (and ok), then it would sound like the Reg/Rec is not going to fry the new battery, so you have little to loose!!

[tigersaw]

As far as the optimate goes, good as it is, it does not know the AH capacity of a battery. Treated well, a battery will give good service over a long period, but its capacity will reduce. However, the optimate wont spot a problem if it follows the rules and takes a charge.
Wait until its charged up on the optimate, then turn your lights full on for a good minute. They should not significantly diminish, and the bike should still start afterwards - otherwise suspect your battery, which if 6 years old has done you proud.

As said, perhaps time for a battery change. Hopefully its just that.

If its the rectifier, I got a week and a half on a new battery before it broke down 20 yards outside Blackwall tunnel. It manifested on mine as electrical problems - funnily enough with starting and then with fuel light coming on just entering the tunnel at 50 miles after refuelling.


Though by now Sid will probably have given you proper advice.

Of which would be nice to hear when you sign on later...

A quick alternator test that works on cars is with the engine running put the lights on main beam.
Blip the throttle and the lights should get slightly brighter, if they do the alternator is fine, if there is no difference then alternator/charging system needs checking.
Hope this helps
Chog

it sounds like a duff cell but before spending £60 on a battery, get it checked first.
most bike shops will do it free of charge, but make sure that they fully charge it first because you wont get a proper reading otherwise going by my experience. I had MR motorcycles in bristol do mine but that wont be any use to you, sorry.

the problem I have seen and heard of occuring often is intermittent rectifier/regulator failure

if you start your bike and test it, it will check out good

let you bike warm up, it will still check good,

ride it a half an hour, and suddenly you find the charging system not working and discharging your battery

many times the semiconductors in the RR workproperly until they get hot. they are destined to failure sooner or later by design as they shunt excess voltage to ground ad disapate the energy as heat.


then you turn ooof your bike, let every thing cool down, and it works fine the next time again till it gets hot

6 yr old battery is quite old, I'd replace it as maybe it's just not holding a charge like it should, but at the same time, keep an eye on your charging system voltage

Originally Posted by Sid Squid

Neither of which was me, thus any results and diagnoses you have been advised of are clearly substandard.

Get a load of him thinking he is all that. Anyone would think that anything he had to say was actually worth listening too.

Originally Posted by spiderman

Ok, i've been a good boy and done lots of searches regarding this subject but i still need some advice please.

Be nice to people and don't do drugs, drugs are bad OKay.